4 Reading Challenges I’ll Be Doing in 2019

written by Kelly Mongan November 29, 2018

2019 Reading Challenges I will be participating in; Reading on a window bench in Yorkshire

I have a few reading goals for 2019 that fall outside of challenges, but I can’t help getting wrapped up in challenges, as well. Reading challenges are such a fun way to force yourself out of your reading comfort zone. They’re also a great way to keep your brain working and your creativity going; you have to think up books for the prompts or categories, which will keep you thinking about books at all hours of the day.

I’m trying not to participate in too many reading challenges in 2019, since I actually want to follow through on them. However, after publishing my own challenge, I’ve come across so many reading challenges and a few of them have really caught my eye. Here are the reading challenges I’ll be participating in for 2019:

Diversify Your Reading

I decided to host my own reading challenge in 2019, the Diversify Your Reading Challenge! Click here to learn more about it and click here to join the Facebook group. The challenge is a 12 book reading challenge focused on reading 12 different genres throughout the year. I’m already getting excited about some new genres I’ve never even considered before. I can’t wait to get started!

Most excited about…Middle Grade & YA. I’ve been so impressed with some of the topics covered in books aimed toward a younger audience, but I never actually take the time to read the books. Can’t wait to dive into some MG & YA reads!

Progress: 1/12

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January – Memoir & Autobiography – Educated by Tara Westover

February – Romance

March – Science & Technology

April – Graphic Novels & Comics

May – History & Biography

June – Middle Grade & Childrens

July – Humor

August – Science Fiction

September – Nonfiction

October – Young Adult

November – Poetry

December – Fantasy

Popsugar

I love the PopSugar Reading Challenge, even though I never finish it! It’s so fun to try and find books that match each prompt, and is a great way to explore your to be read list (and add to it). As always, there are some difficult prompts this year, but also some really fun ones. I’ll be sharing my reading list soon!

Most excited about…reading Little Women. I don’t think I’ve ever read it! Or, if I have, I don’t remember. It’s a classic and I want to read it and it fits multiple Popsugar prompts. So I have no excuse not to read it!

Progress: 5/40 + 2/10

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2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
1. A book becoming a movie in 2019 – Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott
2. A book that makes you nostalgic
3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie
5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
7. A reread of a favorite book
8. A book about a hobby
9. A book you meant to read in 2018
10. A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover – This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore – The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
13. A book published posthumously
14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
15. A retelling of a classic
16. A book with a question in the title
17. A book set on college or university campus
18. A book about someone with a superpower
19. A book told from multiple POVs
20. A book set in space
21. A book by two female authors
22. A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title
23. A book set in Scandinavia
24. A book that takes place in a single day
25. A debut novel – Enchantée by Gita Trelease
26. A book that’s published in 2019
27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire
29. A book with LOVE in the title – Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney
30. A book featuring an amateur detective
31. A book about a family
32. A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America
33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title
34. A book that includes a wedding
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
36. A ghost story
37. A book with a two-word title
38. A novel based on a true story
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge:

2019 Popsugar Advanced Challenge
1. A “cli-fi” (climate fiction) book
2. A “choose-your-own-adventure” book
3. An “own voices” book
4. Read a book during the season it is set in – Christmas in the Snow by Karen Swan
5. A LitRPG book
6. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters
7. Two books that share the same title
8. Two books that share the same title
9. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom – The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
10. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

Reading Women

The Reading Women challenge is totally new to me, but I love that it is focused on female authors. Similar to the Popsugar challenge, there is a list of prompts. The Reading Women challenge has 24 prompts with two bonus prompts. I have no doubt that I’ll discover some great books through the Reading Women challenge!

Most excited about…reading a book about or set in Appalachia. I know surprisingly little about the region considering the fact that I grew up on the east coast, so I’m eager to learn more.

Progress: 2/24 + 0/2

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1. A mystery or thriller written by a woman of color

2. A book about a woman with a mental illness

3. A book by an author from Nigeria or New Zealand

4. A book about or set in Appalachia

5. A children’s book

6. A multigenerational family saga

7. A book featuring a woman in science

8. A play

9. A novella

10. A book about a woman athlete

11. A book featuring a religion other than your own

12. A Lambda Literary Award winner

13. A myth retelling

14. A translated book published before 1945

15. A book written by a South Asian author

16. A book by an Indigenous woman

17. A book from the 2018 Reading Women Award shortlist – Educated by Tara Westover

18. A romance or love story

19. A book about nature

20. A historical fiction book

21. A book you bought or borrowed in 2019

22. A book you picked up because of the cover

23. Any book from a series – The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

24. A young adult book by a woman of color

BONUS:

1. A book by Jesmyn Ward

2. A book by Jhumpa Lahiri

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Historical Fiction is my go to genre, so this reading challenge immediately caught my eye. Hosted by Passages to the Past, the challenge is basically just to read Historical Fiction. You don’t have to ask me twice! I’m aiming to be a “Renaissance Reader” and read 10 historical fiction novels throughout 2019. That should be plenty enough to satiate my craving for HF while still allowing me time to explore other genres.

Most excited about…having an excuse to read more Historical Fiction! It’s by far my favorite genre, and I’ve been nervous that I won’t have time to read a ton in 2019 while I’m trying to diversify my reading. So now I have an excuse to pick up any HF novel that catches my eye!

Progress: 0/10

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10.

I am sure some seasonal challenges will come up throughout the year, and I’ll add them to this post. I’ll also be adding my links related to all of the challenges, so think of this as my master 2019 reading challenge post!

My overall 2019 reading goal is to read 60 books. The challenges above total up to 96 books (LOL, not happening!). So, if a book qualifies for more than one challenge, I will tick it off for more than one challenge. I’m extremely flexible when it comes to challenges because it’s more about identifying a book that falls under each category than anything else. I love the challenge and creativity involved in picking a book for each category. Sometimes it’s even more fun to stretch a book to fit into a category than to find one that fits perfectly. It’s all about the challenge! Wondering how I keep track of my reading goal progress? Click here for 5 ideas for tracking your reading!

If you’re looking to participate in a reading challenge in 2019 and don’t know where to start, check out this master list of 2019 reading challenges!

Which reading challenges are you doing in 2019?

Kelly Mongan

Kelly Mongan is a full-time professional with a pure blogging obsession, running two blogs and countless Instagram accounts. While she's always tied up from 9-5, Kelly spends her free time exploring London (or Europe) with her husband, dreaming up ways to improve her house, or having a crazy cuddle sessions with on the couch with her dog. She's passionate about writing, reading, wine, and travel. She blogs about her travels on A Pair of Passports.

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